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After splitting the first two games, the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers face off for the final time this season. The Knicks and Pacers occupy the last two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Match Details
Fixture: Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Saturday, February 27th, 8 PM ET (Sunday, 6:30 AM IST)
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
Indiana Pacers Preview
The Indiana Pacers enter this game on the back of two close losses. They failed to up the tempo in the dying moments of both these matchups and ended up on the losing side. This has been the story for the majority of the season for Nate Njorkgren's men who lack the ability to explode for scoring runs. The Pacers held on to beat the New York Knicks in their first encounter against them this season but failed to do it a second time due to a similar reason.
The likes of Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner are all valuable players who can go off on any night. Even Doug McDermott is averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game this season. But rarely have any of these players managed to carry the Indiana Pacers across the finish line on their own.
Key Player - Domantas Sabonis
Averaging 21.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season, Domantas Sabonis was recently awarded his second All-Star selection. He'll be looking to use this as motivation to lead the Indiana Pacers to a win against a team he has dominated in the past. He had a double-double in both the previous outings against the New York Knicks and will be hoping to replicate those performances.
Indiana Pacers Predicted Lineup
G Malcolm Brogdon, G Justin Holiday, F Doug McDermott, F Domantas Sabonis, C Myles Turner
New York Knicks Preview
After winning five of their last seven games, the New York Knicks are well on track to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Tom Thibodeau has established a defensive culture since taking over and it has worked wonders for this squad. The Knicks have had their troubles in scoring freely but they managed a season-high 140 points in their last outing against the Sacramento Kings.
Despite competing for the playoffs, the New York Knicks are finally finding minutes for their young guys. Rookie Immanuel Quickley has improved his stock significantly on the back of his volume scoring. He's averaging 12.2 points per game on a 37.1% clip from downtown. Frank Ntilikina returned to the rotation for the first time since December against Sacramento and should feature against the Indiana Pacers as well.
Key Player - RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett may be having an inconsistent patch lately but he's come good for the New York Knicks in his sophomore year. Averaging 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, Barrett likes getting close to the rim and finishing in traffic. He managed 26 and 25 points respectively in the previous two games against the Indiana Pacers. Barrett needs to work on his efficiency but his shot mechanics look good already.
New York Knicks Predicted Lineup
G Derrick Rose, G Reggie Bullock, F RJ Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Nerlens Noel
Pacers vs Knicks Match Prediction
Both the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks have had trouble in maintaining composure down the stretch but the latter has shown some improvement in this regard. The Knicks have started to solve their scoring problem and are in a much better rhythm than the Pacers right now. Expect Randle and co. to dominate this tie.
Where to watch Pacers vs Knicks?
Local coverage of the game will be available on FOX Sports Indiana and MSG Network. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
